Environmental load evaluation device, environmental load evaluation system, and environmental load evaluation method

Abstract

Provided is a technology for visualizing an environmental load corresponding to product configurations on the basis of design documents.　This environmental load evaluation device is provided with one or more processors and outputs an environmental load of a product to be produced. The environmental load evaluation device is characterized: by including a storage unit that stores a bill of materials of the product, a diagram of the product, and basic unit information indicating basic units of an environmental load; and in that the processor is provided with a basic unit proposal unit that uses the bill of materials and outputs, as a proposal, candidates for basic units corresponding to components constituting the product, and an environmental load calculation unit that combines the proposed basic units with the bill of materials and calculates the environmental load of the product.

Description

Environmental load assessment device, environmental load assessment system, and environmental load assessment method

[0001] The present invention relates to an environmental load assessment device, an environmental load assessment system, and an environmental load assessment method. The present invention claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-093069, filed on June 7, 2024, and the contents of that application are incorporated by reference into the present application in designated states where incorporation by reference of documents is permitted.

[0002] As companies are now required to solve environmental issues such as carbon neutrality, manufacturers are being asked to conduct environmental assessments at the product design stage and clarify the environmental impact of their products. Traditionally, designers have typically used product quality, cost, delivery time, etc. as evaluation indicators when designing products. However, the future requirement to include environmental impact as an indicator could place an additional burden on designers.

[0003] In products that use multiple parts and raw materials, including purchased materials, the types and quantities vary widely. Therefore, when designing for environmental impact, it is not easy to determine which part's design can be redesigned to achieve the most efficient results.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a technology related to "an environmental load assessment method that divides a product's life cycle into stages of raw material procurement, manufacturing, distribution, use, disposal, and recycling, prepares in advance the emission intensity of environmental load factors occurring at each stage, and determines the environmental load of the product by multiplying this by the amount used or input for each product, wherein at least at the raw material procurement stage, the emission intensity of the environmental load factor related to the input material at that stage is calculated from an input-output table, and this is stored in advance in association with material identification information defined in the input-output table, and the environmental load of the product at the raw material procurement stage is determined by multiplying this stored emission intensity for each material by the amount used of the input material for the product, and when the input material is expressed in standard material identification information, the standard material identification information is converted to material identification information defined in the input-output table before determining the environmental load of the product."

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-109157

[0006] The technology described in Patent Document 1 requires that, at least at the raw material procurement stage, the emission intensity of the environmental load factor associated with the input material is calculated from an input-output table and stored in advance in association with the material identification information defined in the input-output table. However, for products that use multiple parts and raw materials, particularly when the products include parts manufactured by other organizations such as parts manufacturers, it is necessary to obtain information managed by those organizations. Even if environmental impact assessment at the procurement stage is possible, this requires a significant amount of time and effort, and therefore cannot be applied directly. The object of the present invention is to provide a technology that visualizes the environmental load according to the product configuration based on design documents.

[0007] The present application includes multiple means for solving at least part of the above-mentioned problems, examples of which are as follows: An environmental load assessment device according to one aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is an environmental load assessment device that includes one or more processors and outputs the environmental load of a manufactured product, and includes a memory unit that stores a parts list of the product, a drawing of the product, and basic unit information indicating the basic unit of the environmental load, and the processor includes a basic unit proposal unit that uses the parts list to output, as a proposal, candidate basic units corresponding to parts that make up the product, and an environmental load calculation unit that combines the proposed basic unit with the parts list to calculate the environmental load of the product.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology for visualizing the environmental impact according to the product configuration based on the design documents. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the following description of the embodiment of the invention.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an environmental load assessment system; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a bill of materials; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of drawing information; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of unit consumption information; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of environmental load information; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an environmental load assessment device; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of unit consumption proposal processing; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of activity amount calculation processing; FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a unit consumption proposal screen; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an activity amount calculation screen; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an environmental load display screen.

[0010] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The examples are illustrative for explaining the present invention, and for clarity of explanation, appropriate omissions and simplifications have been made. The present invention can also be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0011] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0012] Examples of various types of information may be described using expressions such as "table," "list," and "queue," but the various types of information may be expressed using data structures other than these. For example, various types of information such as "XX table," "XX list," and "XX queue" may be expressed as "XX information." When describing identification information, expressions such as "identification information," "identifier," "name," "ID," and "number" are used, but these are interchangeable. Furthermore, in the embodiments, identification information described using these expressions is expressed using symbols, numbers, natural language, or a combination thereof, but the identification information may be in a format other than these.

[0013] When there are multiple components with the same or similar functions, they may be described using the same reference numeral with different subscripts. When there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0014] In the embodiments, processing performed by executing a program may be described. Here, a computer executes the program using a processor (e.g., a CPU or a GPU) and performs processing defined by the program using storage resources (e.g., memory) and interface devices (e.g., communication ports). Therefore, the entity performing the processing by executing the program may be the processor. Similarly, the entity performing the processing by executing the program may be a controller, device, system, computer, or node having a processor. The entity performing the processing by executing the program may be any computing unit, and may include a dedicated circuit that performs specific processing. Here, the dedicated circuit may be, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or the like.

[0015] A program may be installed on a computer from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server may include a processor and storage resources for storing the program to be distributed, and the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. In addition, in the embodiments, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0016] Furthermore, although the present invention is typically realized by an information processing device, it may also be realized as a platform having the functions of the present invention.

[0017] The environmental impact assessment system 1 is used during product design or in preparation for product reuse and redistribution. Such products are typically industrial equipment such as elevators, and therefore, in this embodiment, industrial equipment is mainly used as an example. However, the system is not limited to industrial equipment and may be applied to various environments (facilities, mobile objects, etc.).

[0018] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an environmental load evaluation system. The environmental load evaluation system 1 includes an environmental load evaluation device 100. The environmental load evaluation device 100 is also connected to other devices via a network 50 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0019] For example, the environmental load assessment apparatus 100 is an information processing apparatus including a storage unit 110 , a processor 120 , a UI (User Interface) device 130 , and an NI (Network Interface) device 140 .

[0020] [Data Description] The storage unit 110 includes a parts list 111, drawing information 112, basic unit information 113, environmental load information 114, rules 115, and activity amount rules 116.

[0021] The parts table 111 is information that stores the parts that make up a product and their hierarchical structure in a manner that allows them to be identified. The parts table 111 is so-called BOM (Bill of Materials) data, and is tree-structured data.

[0022] 2 shows an example of the data structure of a parts table 111. The parts table 111 includes the part names 111a of the parts that make up the product, the hierarchical number 111b, the parent part names 111c, the child part names 111d, the required quantities 111e, the units 111f, and the reference drawings 111g.

[0023] The product name 111a is the name or identifier of a part that constitutes a product. The hierarchical number 111b is information that identifies the hierarchical level to which the part identified by the product name 111a belongs in the product tree. The parent part name 111c and the child part name 111d are information that identifies the part to which the part identified by the product name 111a is directly attached and the part that is directly attached to the part identified by the product name 111a, respectively. The required quantity 111e is information that identifies the quantity (number) of the part identified by the product name 111a to be incorporated into the product. The unit 111f is the unit for counting the part identified by the product name 111a. The reference drawing 111g is information that identifies the drawing number of the part identified by the product name 111a.

[0024] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of drawing information. The drawing information 112 includes a drawing 112b for each drawing number 112a that distinguishes the drawing from other drawings. The drawing 112b includes dimensional information 112c written in accordance with the shape of the part, and information specifying the distance for each specified part on the drawing, such as a notation 112d of "Φ32mm" indicating a diameter of 32mm and a notation 112e of "240mm" indicating a length of 240mm.

[0025] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the basic unit information 113. The basic unit information 113 stores information required for calculating the basic unit for each basic unit item name in association with each other.

[0026] Specifically, the basic unit information 113 includes, for each basic unit product name 113a, a basic unit 113b and a calculation unit 113c of the amount of activity. The basic unit 113b is the amount of emissions of substances that cause environmental loads, such as CO ２ This is information on the amount of greenhouse gases emitted per unit. Greenhouse gases include various gases that are considered to have a greenhouse effect. Representative examples include carbon dioxide (CO ２ ), methane (CH ４ ), nitrous oxide (N ２ O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF ６) but is not limited to these, and does not necessarily have to include these and may be any of them, or the greenhouse effect may be converted to any of the gases.

[0027] The activity amount recording unit 113c is information specifying a unit of measurement used when recording the activity amount. For example, the activity amount recording unit 113c includes units related to quantities such as mass, volume, area, and number, such as "kilogram" and "cubic meter."

[0028] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of environmental load information. The environmental load information 114 stores a specific basic unit for each part, an amount of activity, and an environmental load calculated based on the amount of activity, in association with each other. In this embodiment, the environmental load is defined as the product of the basic unit and the amount of activity.

[0029] Specifically, the environmental load information 114 includes, for each item name 114a, a hierarchical number 114b, a required quantity 114c, a basic unit item name 114d, an activity amount 114e, and an environmental load 114f. The item name 114a is the name or identifier of a part that constitutes a product. The hierarchical number 114b is information that specifies the hierarchical level in the product tree to which the part identified by the item name 114a belongs. The required quantity 114c is information that specifies the quantity (number) of the part identified by the item name 114a that is incorporated into the product. The basic unit item name 114d is information that specifies the amount of emissions of substances that cause environmental load, such as CO ２ The activity amount 114e is information for specifying the activity amount of the part specified by the product name 114a. The environmental load 114f is information for the product of the activity amount 114e and the basic unit emission amount specified from the product name specified by the basic unit product name 114d.

[0030] The rule 115 is information in which predetermined text information and a basic unit product name are associated in advance. For example, the rule 115 includes the text "SECC" as the predetermined text information, and the basic unit product name is associated with "electro-galvanized steel sheet" and stored.

[0031] The activity amount rule 116 is information that associates in advance the name of a basic unit product with a calculation formula for the activity amount used to calculate the environmental load. For example, the rule 115 includes the text "round bar" as predetermined text information, and associates it with a calculation formula for the mass, which is an activity amount. In the case of a round bar, the calculation formula for the mass is the product of the volume, which is obtained by multiplying the square of the diameter by the axial dimension by π / 4, and the density ρ, which corresponds to the basic unit product name.

[0032] The processor 120 includes an intensity proposal unit 121 , an activity amount calculation unit 122 , an environmental load calculation unit 123 , and an environmental load presentation unit 124 .

[0033] The basic unit proposal unit 121 uses the parts list 111 and the basic unit information 113 to output, as proposals, basic unit candidates corresponding to the parts that make up the product. The basic unit proposal unit 121 also uses the basic unit information 113 to identify one or more basic units that are similar to the text information of the parts included in the parts list 111 to a predetermined degree or more as basic unit candidates, and outputs these as proposals. The basic unit proposal unit 121 also uses the text information of the parts included in the parts list 111 to identify, as candidates, basic units that have been associated according to the rules 115, and outputs these as proposals. The basic unit proposal unit 121 also accepts approval or correction of the basic units proposed for the parts by selecting a basic unit.

[0034] The activity amount calculation unit 122 identifies a calculation formula for the activity amount corresponding to the basic unit in accordance with the activity amount rule 116, and calculates the activity amount of the part by applying the calculation formula using text information related to the unit of the activity amount of the part included in the parts table 111 (e.g., the required amount 111e and the unit 111f), and outputs the calculated activity amount as a proposal. Note that if the text information related to the unit of the activity amount of the part is not included in the parts table 111, the activity amount calculation unit 122 reads the drawing information 112 included in the parts table 111, creates a 3D model, estimates information related to the unit of the activity amount of the part, calculates the activity amount of the part, and outputs the calculated activity amount as a proposal. Furthermore, the activity amount calculation unit 122 accepts approval or correction of the activity amount proposed for the part by selecting an activity amount.

[0035] The environmental load calculation unit 123 calculates the environmental load according to the parts structure of the product by combining the selected basic unit with the parts list 111. Specifically, the environmental load calculation unit 123 calculates the environmental load of the product by combining the basic unit and activity amount selected as a result of the proposal with the parts list 111.

[0036] The environmental load presentation unit 124 outputs the environmental load calculated by the environmental load calculation unit 123 for each component. Specifically, the environmental load presentation unit 124 models the component structure according to the parts list 111 and completes the model by applying the environmental load of each component. Then, depending on the component layer that the user wants to display, the environmental load presentation unit 124 totals the environmental loads included in that component layer and displays the environmental load for each component layer. For example, if an elevator is a product, the components at the lower layers may include the elevator shaft, the car, and the electrical system. When the user instructs the display for that layer, the environmental load presentation unit 124 calculates and displays the environmental load for each component using the model.

[0037] The UI device 130 accepts input of various instructions from a user (operator). The input contents include at least approval information regarding the proposed unit consumption, approval information regarding the proposed activity amount, and information on the component hierarchy for displaying the environmental load. For example, the UI device 130 accepts approval input regarding the proposed unit consumption via an input device such as a mouse or keyboard.

[0038] The UI device 130 displays at least environmental load information for each part or for the entire product on a screen via a display device. The UI device 130 also displays at least candidates for use as a basic unit for each part on a screen via a display device. The UI device 130 also displays at least candidates for activity amount for each part on a screen via a display device. For this reason, the UI device 130 may be configured integrally with an input device such as a touch panel. Furthermore, the UI device 130 may be configured in a separate housing from the environmental load assessment apparatus 100. In this case, the UI device 130 may be implemented as a separate terminal device, and input information and output information may be transferred via a network.

[0039] The NI device 140 is connected to an external device so as to be able to communicate with it via a communication path such as a network 50 that is a public network such as the Internet, a communication network that uses a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), or a mobile phone communication network, or a combination of these. The network 50 may be a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or 5G (5G Generation).

[0040] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the environmental load assessment apparatus 100. The environmental load assessment apparatus 100 can be realized as a general information processing apparatus 900 including a processor 901, a hardware memory 902 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage 903 such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), a reading device 905 that reads information from a portable storage medium 904 such as a CD (Compact Disk) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an input device 906 such as a keyboard, mouse, barcode reader, or touch panel, an output device 907 such as a display, and a communication device 908 that communicates with other computers via a communication network such as a LAN or the Internet, or as a network system including a plurality of such information processing apparatuses 900. The reading device 905 may be capable of not only reading from the portable storage medium 904 but also writing to it.

[0041] The processor 901 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processor 901 performs various processes by executing various predetermined programs loaded from the storage 903 to the memory 902. The programs are, for example, application programs that can be executed on an OS (Operating System) program. The programs may be installed in the storage 903 from a portable storage medium 904 via a reading device 905, or may be downloaded from a network via a communication device 908 and executed by the processor 901.

[0042] For example, the basic unit proposal unit 121, the activity amount calculation unit 122, the environmental load calculation unit 123, and the environmental load presentation unit 124 can be realized by loading a program stored in storage 903 into memory 902 and executing it on the processor 901.

[0043] The UI device 130 can be realized by the processor 901 using the input device 906, the output device 907, and the communication device 908. The storage unit 110 can be realized by the processor 901 using the memory 902 or the storage 903. The NI device 140 can be realized by the processor 901 using the communication device 908.

[0044] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the environmental load calculation processing. The environmental load calculation processing is started, for example, when the UI device 130 receives an instruction to execute the environmental load calculation processing from the user.

[0045] First, the basic unit proposal unit 121 reads out the parts list and the drawing information (step S01). Specifically, the basic unit proposal unit 121 acquires the parts list 111 and the drawing information 112.

[0046] The basic unit proposal unit 121 then performs a basic unit proposal process (step S02), which will be described later. Specifically, the basic unit proposal unit 121 uses the parts list 111 to extract basic unit candidates corresponding to the parts that make up the product from the basic unit information 113, outputs the candidates as proposals, and accepts approval or correction of the proposal results.

[0047] Then, the activity amount calculation unit 122 performs an activity amount calculation process (step S03), which will be described later. Specifically, the activity amount calculation unit 122 identifies a calculation formula for the activity amount corresponding to the basic unit in accordance with the activity amount rule 116, calculates the activity amount of the part by applying the calculation formula to text information related to the unit of the activity amount of the part included in the parts table 111, outputs the calculated activity amount as a proposal, and accepts approval or correction of the proposal result.

[0048] The environmental load calculation unit 123 then calculates the environmental load of the product using the approved basic unit and activity amount (step S04). Specifically, the environmental load calculation unit 123 identifies the approved or revised basic unit and activity amount for each part, and calculates the product of the basic unit and the activity amount as the environmental load. In addition, for parts and products that are constructed by combining parts, the environmental load calculation unit 123 calculates the total environmental load of the constituent parts as the environmental load.

[0049] The environmental load presentation unit 124 then calculates and displays the environmental load of the product according to the product structure (step S05). Specifically, the environmental load presentation unit 124 models the component structure according to the BOM 111 and completes the model by applying the environmental load of each component. Then, according to the component layer that the user wants to display, the environmental load presentation unit 124 totals the environmental loads included in that component layer and displays the environmental load for each component layer. For example, if the product is an elevator, the components at the lower layers may include the elevator shaft, the car, and the electrical system. When the user instructs the display for that layer, the environmental load presentation unit 124 calculates and displays the environmental load for each component using the model.

[0050] The above is an example of the processing flow of the environmental load calculation process. According to the processing flow of the environmental load calculation process, it is possible to visualize the environmental load according to the product configuration based on the design documents.

[0051] 8 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of the basic unit proposal processing. The basic unit proposal processing starts in step S02 of the environmental load calculation processing.

[0052] First, the basic unit proposal unit 121 selects a basic unit candidate for each part using the rule 115 (step S21). Specifically, the basic unit proposal unit 121 acquires text information for each part included in the parts list 111 by referring to the product name 111a. Then, the basic unit proposal unit 121 identifies, as a basic unit candidate, a basic unit product name that corresponds to the text information of the product name 111a (for example, a complete match or a partial match) by referring to the rule 115.

[0053] Then, the basic unit proposal unit 121 extracts the parts for which no basic unit candidate has been selected as undecided parts (Step S22). Specifically, the basic unit proposal unit 121 extracts the parts for which no basic unit candidate has been selected in Step S21 as undecided parts.

[0054] Then, for the pending part, the basic unit proposal unit 121 selects the basic units of similar parts as basic unit candidates (step S23). Specifically, for each pending part extracted in step S22, the basic unit proposal unit 121 references the basic unit item names 113a in the basic unit information 113 and selects, as basic unit candidates, the basic unit item names 113a that are similar to the text information of the item name 111a (for example, the vector similarity (inner product) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value).

[0055] The intensity proposal unit 121 then presents the intensity candidate, and accepts modifications and approval (step S24). Specifically, the intensity proposal unit 121 uses a later-described intensity proposal screen 700 or the like to select and modify intensity candidate for each part. At this time, the intensity proposal unit 121 may distinguish between the intensity candidate identified in step S21 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a rule-based intensity candidate) and the intensity candidate selected in step S23 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a similar intensity candidate), and may preferentially display the rule-based intensity candidate by, for example, displaying it at the top.

[0056] The above is an example of the processing flow of the basic unit proposal processing. According to the processing flow of the basic unit proposal processing, the bill of materials 111 is used to extract basic unit candidates corresponding to the parts that make up the product from the basic unit information 113, output the candidates as proposals, and accept approval or modification of the proposal results.

[0057] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of the activity amount calculation process. The activity amount calculation process starts in step S03 of the environmental load calculation process.

[0058] First, the activity amount calculation unit 122 identifies and calculates a calculation formula for an activity amount of a part corresponding to a basic unit by using the activity amount rule 116 (step S31). Specifically, the activity amount calculation unit 122 identifies a calculation formula for an activity amount corresponding to the item name of the selected basic unit for each part included in the parts table 111 by referring to the activity amount rule 116. Then, the activity amount calculation unit 122 calculates an activity amount according to the quantity (required quantity 111e) of the part included in the parts table 111 by using the identified calculation formula for the activity amount.

[0059] Then, the activity amount calculation unit 122 extracts as undecided parts those parts for which the activity amount could not be calculated (step S32). Specifically, the activity amount calculation unit 122 extracts as undecided parts those parts for which information on the part quantity required for the calculation formula could not be obtained in step S31. For example, for a part whose weight is a required parameter in the calculation formula for environmental load, if the weight is not recorded in the parts table 111, the activity amount calculation unit 122 extracts the part as an undecided part because the activity amount cannot be calculated.

[0060] Then, the activity amount calculation unit 122 creates a 3D model for the undecided component using the component drawing and calculates activity amount candidates (step S33). Specifically, the activity amount calculation unit 122 identifies the reference drawing 111g included in the parts list 111, and creates a 3D model by reading the corresponding drawing information 112 and the included text information. Then, the activity amount calculation unit 122 estimates information related to the unit of the activity amount of the component (for example, mass obtained by multiplying the volume and density) and calculates it as an activity amount candidate for the component.

[0061] The activity amount calculation unit 122 then presents the calculated activity amounts and activity amount candidates, and accepts corrections and approvals (step S34). Specifically, the activity amount calculation unit 122 uses an activity amount proposal screen 800 (described later) or the like to select and accept corrections of activity amount candidates for each part. At this time, the activity amount calculation unit 122 may distinguish between the activity amount specified in step S31 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a rule-based activity amount) and the activity amount candidates calculated in step S33 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a model activity amount candidate), and may display them preferentially by, for example, displaying the rule-based activity amount at a higher position.

[0062] The above is an example of the processing flow of the activity amount calculation processing. According to the processing flow of the activity amount calculation processing, a calculation formula for an activity amount corresponding to a basic unit is identified in accordance with the activity amount rule 116, and the activity amount of the part is calculated by applying the calculation formula to text information related to the unit of the activity amount of the part included in the parts table 111, and is output as a proposal, and the result of the proposal can be approved or modified.

[0063] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a consumption unit proposal screen. The consumption unit proposal screen 700 is a screen displayed in the consumption unit proposal process described above. The consumption unit proposal screen 700 is displayed on the UI device 130. The consumption unit proposal screen 700 displays a plurality of pieces of proposal information 710 that accepts the selection and modification of consumption unit candidates for each part. The proposal information 710 includes a configuration information display area 711, a consumption unit candidate display area 712, and a consumption unit approval input reception area 713.

[0064] The configuration information display area 711 displays component configuration information such as product name, reference drawing, required quantity, and unit. The basic unit candidate display area 712 displays extracted basic unit candidates in a selectable manner and includes a text box that can accept manual input. The basic unit approval input reception area 713 accepts approval input for the basic unit candidate selected in the basic unit candidate display area 712 or for the basic unit that has been manually input.

[0065] 10 is display information for prompting the selection and input of a similar intensity candidate for an undecided part for which no intensity candidate has been selected based on the rules. The configuration information display area 721 displays component configuration information such as the product name, reference drawing, required quantity, and unit. The intensity candidate display area 722 indicates that no intensity candidate has been selected. The similar intensity candidate display area 723 displays selectable similar intensity candidates and includes a text box that can accept manual input. The drawing display area 724 displays the corresponding part drawing. The intensity approval input acceptance area 725 accepts approval input for the intensity candidate selected in the similar intensity candidate display area 723 or for the manually entered intensity.

[0066] 11 is a diagram showing an example of an activity amount suggestion screen. The activity amount suggestion screen 800 is a screen displayed in the activity amount calculation process described above. The activity amount suggestion screen 800 is displayed on the UI device 130. The activity amount suggestion screen 800 displays a plurality of pieces of suggestion information 810 that accepts selection and modification of activity amount candidates for each part. The suggestion information 810 includes a configuration information display area 811, an activity amount candidate display area 812, and an activity amount approval input acceptance area 813.

[0067] The configuration information display area 811 displays component configuration information such as the product name, reference drawing, required quantity, unit, and approved basic unit. The activity amount candidate display area 812 displays calculated activity amount candidates in a selectable manner and includes a text box that can accept manual input. The activity amount approval input receiving area 813 receives approval input for the activity amount candidate selected in the activity amount candidate display area 812 or the manually input activity amount.

[0068] Furthermore, the proposed information 820 shown in FIG. 11 is display information for prompting the selection and input of a model activity amount candidate for an undecided part for which no rule-based activity amount candidate has been selected. The configuration information display area 821 displays component configuration information such as the product name, reference drawing, required quantity, unit, and approved basic unit. The activity amount candidate display area 822 indicates that no calculated activity amount candidate has been found. The model activity amount candidate display area 823 displays model activity amount candidates in a selectable manner and includes a text box that can accept manual input. The drawing display area 824 displays a drawing of the corresponding part. The activity amount approval input receiving area 825 receives approval input for the activity amount candidate selected in the model activity amount candidate display area 823 or the manually input activity amount.

[0069] 12 is a diagram showing an example of an environmental load display screen. The environmental load display screen 600 is a screen displayed in the above-described environmental load calculation process. The environmental load display screen 600 is displayed on the UI device 130. The calculated tree structure of the product's parts configuration is visualized and displayed hierarchically. In addition, for each part, the total environmental load of the child parts that make up the part is displayed.

[0070] In an example of a product tree structure, the top level is the product itself, with major part A, major part B, major part C, and so on below it. Then, below major part A, medium part A-α, medium part A-β, medium part A-γ, and so on are included. Furthermore, there is a tree structure where part A-α-1, part A-α-2, part A-α-3, and so on are included below medium part A-α. In a large-scale product, the number of parts and components becomes enormous.

[0071] For example, if an elevator 610 is the target product, the total environmental impact 611 of the elevator 610 is also displayed, and the components, such as the elevator shaft, car 612, and electrical system, are displayed in a tree structure at the lower level. The levels below the car 612 include the frame, ceiling, and car floor. If the car floor is purchased from another organization (e.g., a parts manufacturer), an installed parts list 613 is displayed. The installed parts list 613 includes summary information such as the weight of each component. The environmental impact display screen 600 also includes an end instruction acceptance button 620. When the end instruction acceptance button 620 accepts input, it closes the environmental impact display screen 600.

[0072] The above is an example of the environmental load assessment system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The environmental load assessment system 1 according to the first embodiment makes it possible to visualize the environmental load according to the product configuration based on the design documents.

[0073] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to an embodiment including all of the described configurations. It is possible to replace part of the configuration of an embodiment with another configuration, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of an embodiment. It is also possible to delete part of the configuration of an embodiment.

[0074] For example, in the above embodiment, the environmental load assessment device 100 associates predetermined text information with the basic unit item names in advance using the rule 115, but this is not limiting, and a trained model may be created using predetermined text information and basic unit item names. This makes it possible to deal with fluctuations in text information such as item names in a parts list, and to propose more appropriate basic unit candidates.

[0075] Another example of a user interface that visualizes environmental impacts is a system in which only some or all of the lower levels of the hierarchical structure of a product are displayed, and when a part is selected and input, the lower levels of that part are expanded and displayed. This makes it possible to avoid cluttering the display.

[0076] Additionally, parts can be highlighted in accordance with the magnitude of their environmental impact within the same hierarchy. Also, if the number of parts deployed below exceeds a preset threshold, it is possible to display them in a list format rather than a tree format. This also helps to avoid a cluttered display.

[0077] It is also possible to compare the calculation results of the environmental impact of two or more products and highlight the changes in the environmental impact of each part. In this way, for example, when a product has undergone a model change, it is easy to find the changes in the environmental impact of parts before and after the model change.

[0078] Furthermore, the basic unit proposal unit 121 is not limited to presenting basic unit candidates and accepting corrections and approvals in step S24 of the basic unit proposal process, but may also be configured to automatically select appropriate basic unit candidates for each part. This reduces the time and effort required for approval input and makes it possible to reduce the number of design steps.

[0079] Furthermore, the activity amount calculation unit 122 is not limited to presenting activity amount candidates and accepting corrections and approvals in step S34 of the activity amount calculation process, but may automatically select appropriate activity amount candidates for each component. This reduces the time and effort required for approval input and reduces the number of design steps.

[0080] Some or all of the above-described units, configurations, functions, processing units, etc. may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, the above-described units, configurations, functions, etc. may be implemented in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk, or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0081] It should be noted that the control lines and information lines in the above-described embodiments are those considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected. The present invention has been described above, focusing on the embodiments.

[0082] 1: Environmental load assessment system, 50: Network, 100: Environmental load assessment device, 110: Memory unit, 111: Bill of materials, 112: Drawing information, 113: Basic unit information, 114: Environmental load information, 115: Rules, 116: Activity amount rules, 120: Processor, 121: Basic unit proposal unit, 122: Activity amount calculation unit, 123: Environmental load calculation unit, 124: Environmental load presentation unit, 130: UI device, 140: NI device.

Claims

1. An environmental load assessment device having one or more processors and outputting the environmental load of a manufactured product, comprising a memory unit that stores a parts list of the product, a drawing of the product, and unit load information indicating the unit load of the environmental load, wherein the processor comprises: a unit load proposal unit that uses the part list to output candidate units of load corresponding to the parts that make up the product as proposals; and an environmental load calculation unit that combines the proposed unit load with the part list to calculate the environmental load of the product.

2. An environmental load assessment device according to claim 1, wherein the basic unit proposal unit outputs as a proposal one or more basic units that are similar to the text information of the part included in the parts list to a predetermined degree or more.

3. An environmental load assessment device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores rules that associate predetermined text information with the basic units in advance, and the basic unit proposal unit uses the text information of the parts included in the bill of materials to output the basic units that have been associated according to the rules as a proposal.

4. An environmental load assessment device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores activity amount rules that associate the basic units with calculation formulas for activity amounts used to calculate the environmental load, and the device is equipped with an activity amount calculation unit that identifies a calculation formula for activity amount corresponding to the basic unit in accordance with the activity amount rules, and calculates the activity amount of the part by applying the calculation formula to text information related to the unit of activity amount of the part included in the bill of materials, and outputs the calculated activity amount as a proposal, and the environmental load calculation unit combines the proposed basic unit and activity amount with the bill of materials to calculate the environmental load of the product.

5. An environmental load assessment device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores activity amount rules that previously associate the basic units with calculation formulas for activity amounts used to calculate the environmental load; the device comprises an activity amount calculation unit that identifies a calculation formula for activity amount that corresponds to the basic unit in accordance with the activity amount rules, and uses text information related to the unit of activity amount of the part included in the bill of materials to apply the calculation formula to calculate the activity amount of the part and output the calculation as a proposal; when the text information related to the unit of activity amount of the part is not included in the bill of materials, the activity amount calculation unit reads drawing information included in the bill of materials to create a 3D model, estimates information related to the unit of activity amount of the part, calculates the activity amount of the part, and outputs the calculation as a proposal; and the environmental load calculation unit combines the proposed basic units and activity amount with the bill of materials to calculate the environmental load of the product.

6. An environmental load assessment device according to claim 1, further comprising: an environmental load presentation unit that outputs the environmental load on a part-by-part basis.

7. An environmental load assessment system that uses one or more computers to output the environmental load of a manufactured product, wherein the computer has a memory unit that stores a parts list of the product, a drawing of the product, and unit load information that indicates the unit load of the environmental load, and performs an unit load proposal step that uses the part list to output candidate unit loads corresponding to parts that make up the product as proposals, and an environmental load calculation step that combines the proposed unit loads with the part list to calculate the environmental load of the product.

8. An environmental load assessment method that uses one or more computers to output the environmental load of a manufactured product, wherein the computer has a memory unit that stores a parts list of the product, a drawing of the product, and unit load information that indicates the unit load of the environmental load, and performs an unit load proposal step that uses the parts list to output candidate units of load corresponding to parts that make up the product as proposals, and an environmental load calculation step that combines the proposed unit load with the parts list to calculate the environmental load of the product.

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